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Parents of autistic children have an extremely difficult and exhausting task to bring their children out of “their own world” and into our world. Progress comes slowly, and the stories of daily struggles are heart-wrenching. Autism typically appears during the first three years of a child’s life, and early diagnosis and intensive in-home therapy are crucial to improving the chances of positive outcomes.

In his first budget bill, Governor Doyle completely eliminated the funding for the Autism Waiver Program. Republican leaders in the Assembly and Senate successfully fought to restore that funding, an effort I was part of and wholeheartedly supported. AB 901 builds on our commitment to this worthwhile program and increases the funding to meet a growing demand.

In addition, AB 901 requires doctors to provide the parents of a child diagnosed with autism with a treatment plan and any necessary referral for further treatment or services.

The Senate recently passed a bill that would mandate insurance companies to provide coverage for autism services. But as we all know, insurance mandates are simply passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums. What you may not know is that this bill only provides coverage for 30% of those who are insured compared to the 100% who are covered by AB 901. You may be wondering why.

Nearly 50% of all Wisconsin residents get their insurance through their employers who self-fund their health insurance plans. These plans are regulated by federal law and are exempt from all state mandates. In other words, if your child has autism and you work for a business that has a self-funded insurance plan, your child will not be covered.

Approximately 20% of Wisconsin residents are in government programs, like Medicare, which are also exempt from state mandates. Furthermore, the bill can only apply to Wisconsin employers, so if you live in Beloit, Hudson, Prairie du Chien, or Hurley and cross the border to work at a job in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, or Michigan, your autistic child would not be covered by the mandate either. This means only about 30% of the population would be covered by a mandate. And much of this burden will fall on small business already struggling to provide health insurance to their employees.

I believe a 30% solution is no solution at all. The 100% solution proposed by the Assembly would cost taxpayers $6 million. The 30% solution proposed by the Senate would cost taxpayers $9.5 million for the premium increases in the health plans of state and local government workers. For the 30% of Wisconsin residents who purchase private health insurance, the mandate will increase their insurance costs between $60 – 80 million.

For me the choice is clear. The 100% solution covers everyone at a fraction of the cost.

I stand behind AB 901 for a personal reason as well. Ninety-nine members serve in the Assembly; two have children with autism. It is these two legislators who have worked tirelessly to find the 100% solution. AB 901 was crafted out of their own personal knowledge and daily struggles of parenting an autistic child. These legislators believe AB 901 is the right thing to do for both taxpayers and autistic children. I respect their opinion because they must face the realities of autism every single day of the year for the rest of their lives, not just a day or two on the floor of the state legislature.

Karl Van Roy is a Republican and represents the 90th Assembly District.

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